TeenNick Brings Back the Nostalgia

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Clarissa explained it all (again!) on TeenNick's nostalgia-driven "The '90s Are All That."

Ask any twenty-something about one of their favorite childhood memories--if they had cable and some spare time on a Saturday night, they’ll most likely include much of Nickelodeon’s '90s programming.

On Monday, Nickelodeon launched “The ‘90s Are All That,” a primetime retro block of programs from midnight until 4 a.m. catering to a set that’s mostly traded Pop Tarts for Prada.

It was a goldmine of tween comedy, opening with “All That,” the teenybopper version to “Saturday Night Live.” (In fact, Kenan Thompson graduated from one to the other.) Also included in the retro remix: “Doug,” “Family Double Dare,” “Salute Your Shorts,” “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” “Weinerville,” and “Hey, Arnold!” to name a few.

What’s curious about the idea of rebroadcasting these shows, Salon’s Drew Grant writes, is that nostalgia can now be scheduled and packaged. What’s more interesting, he argues, is that a demographic arguably young (a product of the ‘80s) is so intent on looking back, rather than looking forward.

Child Stars Then and Now

Regardless, the shows have become a huge hit. TeenNick’s fans took to social media, expressing their pleasure the shows from childhood have returned.

Tweeted one such viewer: “Teen Nick won on so many levels last night #iaintlyin.”

TeenNick’s Senior VP Keith Dawkins said earlier that the Nickelodeon of the 1990s was devoted to kids ages 9-11. “"It was ground-breaking and for the young viewers, a powerful and pivotal time in their lives,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Those kids who are now 22, 23 and 24 want to bring that back.”